Yileon

Yileon is a continent of the world of Achirion, located in the far reaches of the Eastern Ocean.

Overview
Yileon (WoY) is the easternmost of the Five Continents, and the most distant from any of the others. Reaching it via the shortest path possible - from the port of Ormindy Do in eastern Eilihane, which is the closest point on the closest of the other four continents - takes 14 weeks.

Geography
The continent has a land area of 3.1 million square miles. The far northeast is dominated by the soaring, snow-capped Thesnet Mountains and surrounded by the scrubby polar tundra of the Kirdiac Reach. The far northwest is primarily tundra as well, divided between the East Indigo Wastes and West Indigo Wastes, with high hills running a north to south route in the West Indigo. The lower northeast is divided between the taiga of the Chillwind Reach, the frigid Orobo Wetlands, and the boggy peatland of the Suttane. The lower northwest is divided between the Paravon Mountains in the far east and the evergreen Delneau Forest and the Emsgan Plains.

In the midlands, the heart of the country is dominated by the rolling hills and wide expanses of the lush Plymway, a vast plain where a great deal of farming takes place. The western midlands are a combination of the low peaks of the Belda Mountains and the deciduous Callem Wood. The eastern midlands are divided between the expansive Leinia Forest and the plains of Lakeland, also known as the Forest of Lakes, where over 200 lakes of varying size support a lush breadbasket of agriculture.

Climate
Yileon is divided into four general climactic regions. The far north sees cold weather year-round, with the coasts being perpetually cloaked in ice and snow. The lower north is cold but less so, with chilly winters and mild summers. The upper south is temperate, where it is mild in spring and autumn, warm in summer, and cool in winter. The far south is warmer, with semi-tropical weather common throughout the year. The most southwesterly area of the continent is also home to its only desert.

Social class
The people of Yileon are divided into three social classes - the gentlefolk, the yeomanry, and the commonfolk. Above all three are the royal family. The gentlefolk are the well-to-do and wealthier citizens of the realm, some of whom hold noble titles. They own estates consisting of a large house on upwards of several hundred acres of land. The yeomanry consists of skilled craftsmen, merchants, and others who own mid-sized houses on several acres of land, or a townhouse in one of the cities, and make their money through an established business of some sort. The commonfolk are the regular citizens of the land, owning a small house or set of rooms in a common house. They work either on farms or in businesses owned by the yeomanry or gentlefolk, who pay them a consistent wage in exchange for their service.

Titles
There are several titles of nobility, passed hereditarily from one generation to the next. These include dukes, earls, and barons. Families who hold these titles have been honored by the Crown for various services to the realm. While all three titles are held by families who have done so in some cases for centuries, new barons can be created from time to time by the sovereign. Also, some people are honored with the title of knight, for service to the military or the state. Men with this honor are addressed as "Sir", and women with "Dame". Those so honored for military service are inducted into the Order of the Knights of the Scarlet Banner, while those honored for service to the state are inducted into the Order of the Knights of the Silver Chalice.

Currency
The currency of the land is the copper astral. While the coins have a coppery color, they are not actually made of copper but an unknown metal whose identity is a closely guarded secret. The obverse of the coin depicts the reigning monarch, while the reverse depicts an elaborate pattern of stars; specifically, the constellation known as the Guardian. It is from this combination of the color and design that the currency gets its name.

Exchanges
Consisting of shareholding certificates, investment lists, and the like.

The Way
The predominant religious order of the land, its worship centres around the all-powerful deity known simply as the Creator. In the time before time, They brought order to the primordial chaos by spreading his holy light throughout and weaving the stars and worlds into being. Serving Them is a circle of powerful angelic beings known as the Intercessors, who are venerated within the faith as the emissaries of the divine. Rank and file clergy of the Way are known as priests, while senior clergy are known as archpriests. They are known collectively as "the Clerus". Leading the Clerus is the High Priest (or Priestess), based out of the Temple of Sublime Harmony in the capital city of Highspire. Assisting them in their duties is the Synod, a gathering of the most senior arch-clerics.

Practitioners
Those capable of wielding magic, known as "having the Gift", are generally referred to as arcanists. This power reveals itself in an event known as "the Unbinding", which typically occurs at some point between a child's fifth and eighth winter. In this event, objects around the young one will begin to inexplicably float, or the object in their hand will burst into flames, or other, similar displays of random magical power. The energy released in the event will be sensed by local wizards, who will seek the child out. By law, all children who demonstrate the Gift are required to receive a full and formal education in the magical arts in order to ensure they receive the proper training and support to allow them to contain and wield their powers responsibly. Representatives of the local chapter hall will take the child to Capvering Hold, the headquarters of the Wizards Guild, where they will have their name recorded in the Azure Book, along with the settlement they came from, who their parents are, and who found and brought them there. They will spend ten years as an apprentice of the guild, learning the disciplines and other important skills, including reading, writing, arithmetic, alchemy, and history. Upon completing their apprenticeship, young arcanists are recognized and become jourmeyman arcanists. From this point, further study and research as well as contemplation and meditation upon their powers can, in time, earn them advancement to the higher ranks.

All arcanists, upon completion of their training, are referred to (regardless of gender) as a "wizard". There are four ranks of arcanist within the Wizards Guild. They are (lowest to highest): apprentice, journeyman, adept, and master adept. The latter two ranks earn the privilege of being addressed by the honorific "magister" if male and "magistra" if female.

Disciplines

 * Clairvoyance - This school encompasses powers that enable arcanists to create physical barriers out of thin air, emit telekinetic shockwaves, manipulate objects with the power of their minds, and conduct limited divinations.
 * Elementalism - The most widespread and commonly used of the disciplines, it encompasses powers which allow arcanists to manipulate the elements of fire, earth, water, and air.
 * Summoning - The art of calling supernatural creatures to an arcanist's service. A sub-discipline known as demonology focuses on the calling of demonic entities (this set of powers is highly illegal).
 * Thaumaturgy - Considered the most infamous of the disciplines, it enables an arcanist to manipulate the powers of life and death. Like demonology, it is illegal.
 * Vivification - Perhaps the most prestigious of the disciplines, it allows an arcanist to treat wounds and cure diseases, purge poisons and remove other deleterious effects. Powers within this discipline also enables an arcanist to temporarily enhance their own or others' senses or talents to superhuman levels.

Holidays
The people of Yileon celebrate various holidays throughout the year. Among them are New Years, the Festival of Flowers, Midsummer, the Festival of Lanterns, the Witches' Festival, and Winterfest.

Language
The people of Yileon speak the Alesh language, the common tongue spoken on all five continents.

Organisations
There are various organisations in the land which fulfill a variety of functions or provide a wide range of services. These include the Wizards' Guild, the Merchant's Guild,


 * Order of the Generous Hand - A charitable organisation managed by the Clerus of the Temple of the Way, it provides food, shelter, and medical care to the less fortunate. It operates commons houses across the continent.
 * Wizards' Guild - Also known as the Wizarding Guild, this is the agency through which magical education and regulation of the arcane arts is exercised.

Myths, legends, and folklore

 * Astrachaeus - The tallest mountain in all of Yileon, also known as the Mountain of Stars or the Mountain of the Gods.
 * Howling Well - The remains of the second-largest mana well in all of Yileon, once located underneath the Precursor city of Iammeque, which was destroyed in a magical cataclysm that devastated the Midania Forest around it and caused the Precursors to disappear from the land. The region around it remains an area of dangerous wild magic, where it is extremely risky for arcanists to wield their magic.  It is also the cause of the mana storms that sometimes blanket the area.
 * Ionorath -
 * Ioturona - The largest Precursor ruin in Yileon, believed to be their capital when they ruled the entire continent. There are chambers in its depths that remain unbreached.
 * Sea Gate -
 * Singing Shore - An area on the Golden Coast where 91 standing stones full of holes produce a flute-like melody when the winds blow through them a certain way. Wild animals will not go near the stones, and it is said the musical sound they produce has a soothing effect on those affected by madness or other mental troubles.  It is unknown who set the stones in place, or if they are a natural formation.
 * Veiled Lady - Believed to be a harbinger of death, it is said people who are dying will see her nearby as their time draws close. It is said she is a servant of the god of death, who guides souls to their appointed afterlife.

Conditions

 * The Foulness
 * Black Fog
 * Plague